02 Map 04 History & Geology 06 Wildlife 08 Hector’s Dolphins 10 Lyttelton 12 Akaroa 16 Along BANKS the way 20 Quail PENINSULA Island New Zealand’s Natural Treasure 22 YOUR Diamond BIG Harbour LITTLE GUIDE 24 The Bays Banks Peninsula Map 2 As the original Akaroa Harbour Nature Cruise and longest serving tourism operator on the Peninsula we are lucky enough to operate in this unique environment and wanted to share with you some of the hidden secrets. In this guide you will discover just some of the gems to be found on the peninsula. From wildlife to walks, food to festivals we’ll give you the heads up on the best places to explore. PAUL MILLIGAN Chief Executive, Black Cat Cruises 3 Ever wondered how Banks Peninsula got to be so beautiful? How the red cliffs of Quail Island came to life? Or how the deep blues and Geology greens of Lyttelton Harbour became as stunning as they + History are today? years ago, after the hills formed from the volcanic activity eroded, the area saw a rise Geology in sea level. This filled the deep troughs created by erosion to form these two Banks Peninsula began its life as two beautiful harbours. overlapping volcanic cones protruding from what is now known as the Port Hills. These cones formed between 6 and 11 million years ago as volcanic activity History built them up from the sea. Eventually, the activity settled down, and over thousands MĀORI SETTLEMENT of years, the extinct volcanoes eroded TANGATA WHENUA to half their original size and revealed The Māori people have a deep connection the gorgeous cliff faces of the area. The with Banks Peninsula, and in particular, erosion also formed deep valleys, which with the seaside village of Akaroa. Sources flooded to become the harbours and bays estimate that early Māori settlers arrived of the Banks Peninsula we know today. in Akaroa between 700 and 800 years ago. As Banks Peninsula was full of fertile soil Fun Fact and so close to a bountiful sea, the location Akaroa and Lyttelton Harbours are proved to be a fruitful source for food, and actually flooded valleys. About 7000 a good place to settle in. 4 After two years of working with the French government to see through his plans, L’Anglois and 53 French and German emigrants left Rochefort on 20 March 1840. Unfortunately for the French, the The Māori population of the South Island British beat them to it – they arrived to spread across the peninsula, through to find the South Island claimed under the places like Tai Tapu and Birdlings Flat. Treaty of Waitangi just a few weeks earlier. However, following civil wars between several villages, by the mid 1830s, the Despite things not quite going to plan, the Māori population had dwindled to only French emigrants still settled into Akaroa, about 500 people. which was the first planned township in the South Island, and boasts the first post office, customs house, and police force in FRENCH SETTLEMENT the lower half of the country. With whaling becoming a lucrative business, seafaring explorers roamed BRITISH SETTLEMENT to far corners of the earth to find new resources for their endeavours. In 1838, Roughly ten years on, Lyttelton and French whaler Jean Francios L’Anglois Christchurch took over as the main saw the potential for Akaroa as a lucrative settlements in the area, and Canterbury business opportunity, and the activity began to take shape around the peninsula. in the Pacific meant that the French had The famous First Four Ships the Charlotte an eye on colonising the South Island. Jane, the Randolph, the Cressy, and the Sir In August 1838, L’Anglois provisionally George Seymour brought in the region’s purchased Banks Peninsula from local first British settlers, who brought their Māori for 1,000 francs. He told the locals Anglican faith and gothic architecture he would pay them in full when he to Christchurch. returned from France after setting up his business. 5 Banks Peninsula is full of creatures great and small. From humpback whales to the world's smallest dolphin, little blue penguins to fluffy fur seals, Banks Peninsula is the place to be for up close and personal encounters with some of the world's rarest and Wildlife most wonderful wildlife. 6 Seals The furriest critters that Banks Peninsula boasts are a colony of New Zealand fur seals. Found along the coasts of the North and South Island, and sometimes even in southern Australia, these adorable Birds animals can be seen in small tour groups or by boat. New Zealand fur seals can get Banks Peninsula is also a bird lover’s up to 2.5metres long, can weigh up to 185 paradise. Famous for its collection of kilograms, and the large males eat ten coastal birds and native species, you’ll be kilograms of meat a day. sure to spot an adorable creature or two on your travels. Hidden in the foliage you’ll find Fantails, Shining Cuckoo, and the carnivorous Morepork – a native New Zealand owl that is known to catch and eat prey larger than its relatively small self. On the seaside you might see the red-billed South Island Oystercatcher, the bright blue Kingfisher, or a wide-winged Mollymawk (Albatross) swooping around the rocks at the edge of the bay. Penguins Banks Peninsula is also home to the biggest little blue penguin colony on New Zealand’s mainland. There you can see the white flippered variety of the Little Blue Penguin. Little Blue Penguins are elusive creatures, and up close and personal tours sometimes provide you with camouflage gear for an encounter. Perhaps this is because at only 25cm tall and weighing in at less than a kilogram, the tiniest penguin in the world scares pretty easily. The larger Yellow-eyed Penguins can also be spotted around Banks Peninsula. Yellow-eyed penguins are very rare, and conservation efforts have been in full swing to try to protect them from hazards and predators introduced by humans. 7 Banks Peninsula is a fabulous place, but the jewel in its crown is without doubt the local dolphins. These are New Zealand dolphins, also known as Hector’s Hector’s dolphins. Nowhere are they more accessible than Dolphins around Banks Peninsula. commonly seen in bays and harbours, BY PROFESSORS STEVE DAWSON often venturing into water just a few AND LIZ SLOOTEN metres deep. Off open coasts they are often In the two largest harbours, Akaroa and seen surfing. They are playful and curious Lyttelton, these dolphins can be found just - strongly attracted to slow-moving boats. about every day, usually within minutes of Two features make NZ dolphins very easy leaving the jetty. As their name suggests, to identify. They are small, reaching 1.4- they are found only in New Zealand, 1.5m long (up to 60kg), obviously smaller mostly in South Island waters. They prefer than any dolphin species in NZ waters. shallow waters (less than 100m deep), are Their dorsal fin is characteristically 8 Lyttleton rounded. The trailing edge of the fin is or so), their maximum population growth rounded, not concave or shark-like, like rate is only about 2%, at the low end of the fins of other dolphins. the usual range for dolphins (2-4%). Their NZ dolphins are usually found in groups preference for inshore waters, where of 2-10 individuals, often with other human impacts are greatest, and their low small groups nearby. These groups come potential for population growth, make NZ together, mingle and separate again, dolphins especially vulnerable to decline. frequently swapping members in the They are considered an endangered process. While mothers and their calves species. The main conservation problem is stay together for 2-3 years, the typical bycatch in fishing nets, especially gillnets, groups that you see are not stable – they but also trawls. are not family groups. This is known as a One of the most enthralling experiences ‘fission-fusion’ social system, and is the that Banks Peninsula offers is an norm among dolphins. encounter with the endangered Hector’s While the social system is very dynamic, Dolphins. Eco-tourism pioneers Black Cat group membership is certainly not Cruises were the first to offer daily wildlife random. Mothers with young calves, for cruises, along with dolphin swimming a example, often hang around together. They few years later (after all the local company have similar needs for a very high food was founded purely by the family’s intake (to provide milk for their calf), and love of the area and it’s unique aquatic seem to want to a quieter life - away from inhabitants). Their cruise is voted the (often rambunctious) males. Even outside number 1 wildlife activity in New these nursery groups segregation by sex Zealand, and their dolphin swim is or age is common. Groups with fewer recognised by Lonely Planet as one of the than half a dozen members are often all top 10 marine mammal experiences in males, or all females. Likewise juveniles the world. Both offer a dolphin guarantee. sometimes form their own groups (just How many places in the world can you like teenagers!). encounter an endangered animal on a daily basis, all in the surrounds of a They are not fussy eaters; their diet majestic volcanic harbour?! includes a wide range of fish species and even some squid and octopus. NZ dolphins feed throughout the water column, taking bottom-dwelling fish (including stargazer) as well as species Professors Steve Dawson and Liz Slooten that school in mid-water (e.g. squid) and have been studying NZ dolphins, based at surface (e.g.